8 Weeks!

Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks of life in Germany, two months already! I can't believe it really. So much has been accomplished in such little time that my head is spinning. We have everything we need and I'm going to start taking German classes five days a week starting in a month or so, and my 'to do' list is shorter and shorter which really excites me. Contrary to popular opinion from the Americans I've met, paperwork in Germany, so far, has been a breeze unlike all of the scary stories I'd heard about German bureaucracy. Plus, everyone I've dealt with in business has been friendly, helpful and extremely easy to deal with.

Oh I cannot forget! A driver's license! But, the license isn't such a worry as I don't drive anyway. I plan to buy a car at some point, I have my eye on a baby blue Fiat (new one), but that's so far in the future that I'm not too concerned. With gas being about $8 USD a gallon it's not really worth it for me when I can take the train or walk. And next year, in the Spring, I'm getting a bike! I am already seeing physical differences in my health and body from walking everywhere. My energy level is high and I feel absolutely great from the miles I cover on foot each day. I try to walk at least 2 miles daily but usually cover 3-4. I fear having a car will make me lazy again and I don't want that, plus it's so much better for my wallet and the environment to live without a car for as long as possible, right? Once I have a child or two, my ideas on this will no doubt change but for now, it's just Tee and I and we love taking the train and walking everywhere.

Plus our city has an amazing public transportation system that is timely, clean and extensive -- you can get anywhere via train and bus. ANYWHERE. Plus, I do so much of my business here in our district (List), that I really don't need to drive as it's so compact. Oh and another perk from not having a car -- I'm buying less because I have to carry everything home!

So, 8 weeks in Germany and I'm very happy and enjoying my life so, so much. I feel at peace inside and my head is full of ideas... I feel more creative than ever! It's peaceful, safe, cozy and most of all, holds so many good memories for me as I first met my husband in this city, we went on dates here, and in this very apartment his grandmother once lived and this is where we visited her for dinners often when we were not yet married. Just yesterday, we had lunch at the place where we had our first date, which was the same day I met my husband in 1999. How can you not love a city where you met and dated your true love? Also, there are many fond memories of my husband's childhood as he was born around the corner and lived in Hannover until his late 20s. I think it would feel differently moving to Hannover, or anywhere in Germany, if I did not have these emotional ties. I may feel uncomfortable, a bit lost, or lonely. But no, this all works just great for us both.

Oh and guess what? Our boxes have not yet arrived! They left Boston end of July and now we are end of September. We hadn't heard from anyone either, so I called the shipping company back in Boston and they connected us with a company in London who now has our things. We had to fax forms and send over more money this morning but the good news is this: our things may arrive within the next three weeks! Yeah! So end of October looks promising which is great because I'll need my boots and winter coats by then. Just in time for cool weather. I didn't think it would take 3 months total, we were told less, but it gave us plenty of time to clean out our cellar and make room for the 82 boxes arriving soon. I'm just so happy everything cleared customs -- I packed brownie mix and several bottles of vanilla extract and I can't wait to break those things out and bake original American brownies for my friends and family -- they are waiting! :)

And one more P.S. to this post. I just ordered some things from a company in Munich called American Heritage. If you are American living abroad, definitely check them out. I ordered some salad dressings, maple syrup, and a few other things that I think my friends will love to sample. It's funny, you cannot find too many salad dressings in my region. In the states, we have about 90 billion different kinds. It's too much and stupid if you ask me to have so many choices, but in Germany it's just the opposite when it comes to most foods. Locally, we have this "Yogurt" dressing which is white and creamy with a slight herb taste to it, then we have "American" dressing which is orange-y in color and tastes like what we call in the states, Russian dressing... And I don't know, I don't see much else in the stores outside of those two dressings. I know there is a huge 24 hour grocery store downtown so I may go check it out to see if they have more options, but it's pretty much yogurt or "American" dressing. I usually just drizzle my salad with olive oil, fresh lemon, herbs, cracked pepper and balsamic vinegar anyway because it's healthier, lower in calories, and brings out the taste of the veggies, but I find it interesting that there isn't much variety in salad dressing. Perhaps Germans enjoy tasting their salad vs. Americans who usually need to cover anything healthy with piles of sauce or dressing to eat it? LOL. I'm American, I can say this. :) Oh and you know what is popular in salad? Corn! Whenever I order a salad there is this bit of whole kernel corn on the top. And it's really good on salad, if you're in the states try it sometime -- it's most certainly not traditional back home but it is in my new home and I rather like it. I can't wait to talk to you again soon. I'm quite tired tonight though... I had a very busy day out at appointments and then I prepared dinner for my husband and his friend and had to work and answer about 1000 emails (not kidding)... and I went boot shopping which was fun (I found a great pair of leather ones in this gorgeous caramel color with a small heel). But tomorrow will be a really restful day as I plan to do laundry, run to the grocery store and out for flowers at the farmers' market, and then write, write, write and answer emails! Chat soon, okay? (images: holly becker, except for bottom photo: thorsten becker)